Reasons to exercise

by used view

There are many reasons to exercise that almost everyone knows, the benefits to your heart, your blood pressure, your energy level, and just feeling better. There are also several other reasons you should exercise that you may not have ever heard of or even thought of. I’m going to share with you a few really great reasons to exercise that will benefit you, that you may have never heard before.

Improve your memory. In a recent 6 month Canadian study of older women, one group did weight training, one group did cardio for 40 minutes twice a week, and the other group did nothing to exercise. The cardio group improved significantly in a memory test from before the 6 week study to after the study, the other 2 groups showed no improvement.

Exercise has shown to improve flu shot effectiveness significantly. An Iowa state university study gave flu shots to 2 groups, then had one group relax while the other group rode a bike or jogged for 90 minutes after they got the shot. The group that exercised had twice the antibodies than the group that relaxed, even a month after the shot. They think that the exercise pumped up the immune system by getting the vaccine throughout the entire body and to all their cells quicker and more efficiently.

Learn a new skill and retain what you learned better. A study in Denmark showed that people who learned a new computer skill, then did a 15 min vigorous cardio workout, retained significantly more of what they learned one week later than the group who did not do a workout after the training.

Overcome eating bad once in awhile. A University of Minnesota study showed in a 4 month study that a group that exercised daily, while eating whatever they wanted, still showed an increase in memory and retention of memory, over a group that was on a healthy diet with no exercise for the same 4 month test period.

Release endorphin’s which give you a physical high. There is a feeling that you get that will make you feel really good. It’s a feeling that you can’t really describe. You need to exercise and get it from the exercise. When you get there and it happens to you, you will know it.

Do better on a test or a presentation. If you exercise before a big test or before giving a presentation, you will perform at your best. A 30 minute vigorous workout before a test or big presentation will get lots of oxygen filled blood to every cell in your body, including your brain, and will help you do the best you can.

Reverse dementia. Studies have shown that as we age, our brains shrink. A shrinking brain can be part of the cause of dementia. A study of older adults that did 40 minutes of aerobic walking 3 times a week actually increased the size of their brain up to 2%, which reversed the brain shrinkage, which decreased and slowed down dementia.

As you can see from these reasons, exercise will not only increase muscle and heart fitness, and make you look and feel better. Exercise will also build up and increase your brain power and help you live longer. Exercise can slow or stop many of the negative mental changes as you grow older. There are many many good reasons to exercise, all you have to do is make time and do it.